FRISCO, Tex. — It was the “Pro Day” for the Elite 11 campers on Saturday night. Those were fitting terms for the performance Georgia commit Carson Beck provided on a big stage.
Several of his throws had to have been scored in the “elite” category compared to his peers. There were a few that even drew the raves of his Elite 11 coaches and counselors.
He has to be among the top five campers so far at the event after two days of drills and reps.
His work on Saturday night likely did nothing to offset that, but he did not finish among the top 5 scores for his “Pro Day.”
It was a solid, but not spectacular outing. Especially in terms of what he is capable of. That assessment came straight from a source who knows his game better than anyone.
Beck had 20 throws. There were only three that hit the ground. The first two of those was not on him.
He threw that ball so well on the second of those instances that his instructors let the receiver clearly know it should have found his hands and stayed there.
Depending on the critique of his judges, a harsh evaluation would feel he did everything expected of him on 14 of those throws. This highly unofficial assessment for this page would put that number at 17.
His last throw from the 8-yard line sailed a little too high over the outstretched blocking dummies hoisted by Elite 11 fixture Trent Dilfer and another instructor.
It meant his pass get tracing on too high of a trajectory for his receiver to catch it inside the boundary. The ball was caught, but it wasn’t completed in bounds. There was only one other incompletion, but this is the “Elite 11” here. These throws come with a greater level of scrutiny.
Beck’s quarterback trainer, Denny Thompson, is as hard on him as anyone.
“Carson is in a different league,” Thompson said. “My expectations for Carson are on a completely different level.”
He saw the film in the featured video slot above and delivered his assessment on how Beck performed on Saturday night.
“Carson is going to watch this and be less than happy with his performance,” Thompson told DawgNation. “The hard thing about the Elite 11 ‘Pro Day’ drill is that the timing is tough on QB’s since they aren’t used to the receivers. He had several perfect throws and showed off his ability to make every throw look effortless.”
Thompson shared why he felt that way.
“His timing was a bit off and at times he didn’t have the juice on the ball that he normally has and [that is} also something that regularly happens when you aren’t comfortable with receivers,” Thompson explained. “My expectations for Carson are as high as any quarterback that I’ve ever trained. So I’m probably being a little tough on him. Carson is one of our guys who does not compete with others. He competes only with himself and knowing what his top level is, I’d give this a solid B-grade.”
How to judge the Elite 11 Pro Day scores
The scoring criteria used in previous Elite 11 “Pro Day” simulations follow this method:
- 3: A great ball that is caught by the receiver
- 2: A good ball that is not caught by the receiver
- 1: A bad ball that is still caught by the receiver
- 0: A bad ball that is not caught by the receiver
Breaking down Carson Beck’s Elite 11 “Pro Day” throws
The competition is set to mimic what it would be like for any quarterback on a scripted pro day working out for scouts prior to the NFL Draft. Area high school players were brought in to run routes for all the campers. They weren’t throwing to the blue-chip prospects they will at the Opening 7-on-7 tournament across three days next week.
The 6-foot-4, 228-pound rising senior showed his arm strength on several occasions. Beck powered the ball downfield with good zip without having to exert himself.
Most quarterback coaches know that very few balls thrown in a real game will require any more than 80 percent of any passer’s maximum velocity. Beck has what his trainer refers to as a high level of “functional arm” strength.
It means he has more than enough to push the ball downfield and squeeze it into tight windows without putting all he has on it.
Beck had two throws from his goal line, four throws from his own 20, two throws from his 30, two throws from his 45, three throws from the other 45, two throws from the 30 approaching the red zone, two throws from the 25, two throws from the 18 and a final throw from the 8-yard line.
He cycled through these routes on his “Pro Day” in approximately 5:55 seconds.
Check out the throw-by-throw from Beck in the video above.
- 1st throw from the goal line: Beck smokes a heave 33 yards down the left sideline. He lets it go at the goal line right between the hashes. It travels to the far left sideline. Good ball and a catch.
- 2nd throw from the goal line: 19 yards. Hits his target in stride. Good ball and a good catch. This crossing route was one of his better throws. Thompson also pointed this one out.
- 3rd throw from his 20: 15 yards. This ball was caught, but it was slightly behind his receiver. It was one of those balls where it looked like his timing was off.
- 4th throw from his 20: Easy ball. Stab or a curl route for five yards. Simple dump off or check down to the back sitting at a cone. Most Elite 11 campers made this look easy. Beck certainly did.
- 5th throw from his 20: Same concept. Again to a back flaring out of the backfield. Mirror route to his previous throw. It was the same result with a catch, but this ball sailed a little high.
This is the part where Beck looked like he was in a clear rhythm. He was off to a fast start but had a hiccup here. It wasn’t known whether there was a miscommunication with the back who was set to run a “bubble” or a check down from the backfield.
Whatever the intent, the play was halted right after the snap. There was a brief delay as everyone reset the drill and tried it again. Beck had to overcome that little issue.
It added to the degree of difficulty of his “Pro Day” turn. Beck warmed up with the rest of the campers for about 30 minutes to begin the camp session but then had to wait about two hours and 30 minutes before he had his turn.
- 6th throw from his 20: The bubble route was restarted and a completion ensues even though the catch didn’t stay in the frame of the video. It is not possible to review this throw because we did not see the upfield ball placement on the catch.
- 7th throw from his 20: A rush element was added to this throw. Beck had to roll away from the pressure and throw on the move to the left sideline. This was the second time the ball hit the ground. The receiver wasn’t able to bring in it and it was a little high. It looked like he threw it a tad late, but this was the rep where his instructors implored the receiver to make that play.
- 8th throw from the 30. The rush element from his left side returns. Beck avoids that with a rollout on and throws a crosser on the move. This was a catch, but it wasn’t the ideal placement here on this 23-yard fling. The receiver had to reach back about a yard back to his inside hip rather than his outside hip by the boundary. It was a catch and a decent throw, but it will not be scored highly in the “Elite 11” setting.
- 9th throw from his 45: The rush element here appears from the right side now. He steps aside from the pressure by climbing up in the pocket. Strong apex to this ball. It covers the distance with a good spiral. A lot of campers had trouble with this throw. It was the longest throw of the day for all of the guys. It pops as one of Beck’s best throws given the element involved here to showcase what he can do. It covered 50 yards in the air. If there’s one element here that could be improved, this ball needed to be placed on the receiver’s outside shoulder and not the inside area with a safety likely homing in to make a play.
- 10th throw from his 45: The rush element continues here. This time there is eye a swat from the bag at Beck’s eye level. This ball is caught and it is completed on a crossing right to the right sideline but this 22-yard pass was not an ideal throw. It could have been placed on his outside shoulder away from the coverage. Get it out there and let the receiver bring it in. If this was in a game setting, there would not have likely been any yards after the catch here.
- 11th throw from the 45 past midfield: 16-yard route. Decent throw and catch but this wouldn’t have earned Beck the three stars here. His receiver had to elevate for it.
- 12th throw from the 45 going in: This was one of Beck’s best throws. Pressure again comes here. He throws a smash route to his inside receiver. This ball covers 45 yards and it should never be a jump ball, but a firm throw. If he’s off-target against this Cover 2 look, it needs to be toward the upfield arm and the boundary. This ball needs to be as high as the safety will allow and he placed in a radius about a yard off the sideline down to the 4-yard line. This one was worth watching again just to appreciate it even while having to go through all these throws.
- 13th throw from the 45 going in: 16-yard throw and catch. This was another completion, but it was likely judged as a “2” here. The receiver makes the catch on his inside hip rather than his upfield hip.
- 14th throw from the 30 just outside the red zone: This was a ball where Beck let it loose. The video doesn’t catch the end of the play, but it was another incompletion. He really delivered a strong throw here, but it isn’t wise to judge the accuracy here without another good look.
- 15th throw from the 30 just outside the red zone: Beck showed a lot of poise through this drill, but this was a point where he wiped the sweat from his face. The call here is an “RPO” look where he pulls the ball back out from the belly of his back and has to hit his receiver on a crosser in stride. It was another completion, but the ball needed to be more upfield to earn the “3” rating.
- 16th throw from the 25 heading in: Another 30-yard route from his release point. This was a play-action call where he needs to climb upfield and hit his receiver on a hook or a curl route. This ball was completed, but it was a high throw. His receiver preserved the “2” score for this rep.
- 17th throw from again from the 25: 30-yard fly or streak route to his outside receiver. The ball was there for a good throw and catch. It wasn’t exactly pinpoint, but Beck continued to show good velocity and targeting on the balls to his left side.
- 18th throw from the 18: Good throw and catch here. It is important to realize all the nuances of every rep on this drill here. Beck had to look the coverage off inside and then throw the post into the middle of the end zone with Dilfer and another instructor deployed right at the goal line as a defender sitting down in zone coverage. This throw had to go over the top of those guys. This route, like many, shows a difference between the ball being “there” and then “right there” for a perfectly scored throw.
- 19th throw from the 18: This 24-yard throw is another completion right at the goal line. It appears the receiver is running a “dig” or a “drag” route here but the route wasn’t exactly parallel to the line of scrimmage. It is an example of the chemistry and timing here between a quarterback and receivers he has never worked with before. It is nonetheless another throw and a catch.
- 20th throw from the 8: As discussed earlier, Beck has a little too much air above the outstretched blocking dummies at the goal line. This ball was caught, but it was completed out of bounds at the back of the end zone.
Here’s another look at the concourse level view of Beck’s “Pro Day” at the Elite 11.